Top scientists confirm Antarctica’s ozone hole is actually recovering and could completely disappear

Scientists have revealed the hole in the Antarctic ozone layer is showing ‘signs of recovery’.

A ‘hole’ was discovered in the Antarctic ozone layer in 1985 and it was quickly ascertained its primary cause was man-made ozone-depleting substances (ODSs).

In 2023, the Copernicus Sentinel-5P satellite measured the size of the hole and it was determined to be one of the biggest sizes on record – the hole’s size fluctuating – shockingly measuring bigger than North America.

At 26 million square kilometers, the hole measured more than three times the size of Brazil, which is 8.51 million square kilometers, and more than North America as a whole, which is 24.71 square kilometers.

It was ascertained the hole was majorly being caused by CFCs – chemicals which at the time were being used in refrigeration, air conditioning, insulation, and aerosol propellants.

The following year, the Montreal Protocol – an international agreement to phase out ozone-depleting substances (ODS) – was put into action and there’s now signs it’s working, the hole reportedly now shrinking.

A study led by scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology – titled Fingerprinting the recovery of the Antarctic ozone and published in Nature on March 5 – has revealed ‘ signs of ozone recovery have been reported, based largely on observations and broad yet compelling model-data comparisons’.

And not only this, but using satellite observations combined with ‘single-model and multi-model ensemble simulations,’ the study explains the ‘results’ of the ‘data and simulations’ have shown a ‘compelling’ argument, providing ‘robust statistical and physical evidence that actions taken under the Montreal Protocol to reduce ODSs are indeed resulting in the beginning of Antarctic ozone recovery, defined as increases in ozone consistent with expected month–height patterns’.

Graduate student Peidong Wang noted, as quoted by Eurekalert: “While detecting a statistically significant increase in ozone is relatively straightforward, attributing these changes to specific forcings is more challenging.” But what’s the evidence?